Each now, is the time, the space
Lismore Castle, Ireland, 2024
Curated by Habda Rashid
Lismore Castle Arts is delighted to present Each now, is the time, the space, curated by Habda Rashid and featuring sculptural works by artists: Leonor Antunes, Alexandre da Cunha, Rhea Dillon and Veronica Ryan in a display throughout Lismore Castle Arts' gallery spaces to include points of collective interconnections and moments of showcasing individual practices.
All four artists share an interest in exploring the qualities of material, techniques of assembly and the symbolic as well as conceptual prior lives of their found and made phenomena that are arranged into exquisite formal assemblages. The works foreground an astute examination of the history of sculpture with considered methods of making – including thought-out use of colour – which examines the metaphoric value of objects and material to create a layering of meaning that coalesces observations on life. Drawing a relationship to the visible layering of history in the lifetime of the castle, the works on view exist in their present situation as amalgams of diverse histories, material and narratives.
The artists collect and coalesce meaning, influences and material from diverse geographies, periods and disciplines to create syncretic sculpture. Antunes embodies techniques, underrepresented narratives and the histories of a global range of women artists and designers into her crafted sculpture. Dillon’s interest in examining colonialism through her Caribbean familiar history in relation to England lies evident in the history-laden material she adopts. The influences of Brazil and the UK are represented in da Cunha’s pieces, which coalesce art historical material with that of the everyday to point to issues relating to the environment. This theme is also reflected in Ryan’s practice, which brings together diverse material in a sustained meditation on the act of making, as well as her movements through New York, London and Montserrat. These itinerant methodologies un-fix meaning from that which has gone before to create space for fresh ideas and new forms.
The idea of meaning-making in a present iteration with a sense of experimentation and indeterminacy points to the title of the exhibition, Each now, is the time, the space, which is taken from the seminal American composer John Cage’s poem 2 Pages, 122 Words on Music and Dance (1957). Cage's experimentation with random procedures, compositions and performance – with his unique systems of graphic notations – served as the groundwork for radical exchanges and shifts in avant-garde music and performative dance. It is this spirit that this exhibition embodies.
The exhibition will be accompanied by an extensive programme of events, talks, screenings, and a far-reaching learning programme.
A catalogue was published in Summer 2024 available for order here.
C/leaning Figures, 2023
Scent, soap, molasses and resin, Dimensions variable
Scent, soap, molasses and resin, Dimensions variable
Seeing from nowhere the place in between, 2022
Concrete and glass, 31.5 x 13 x 13 cm
Concrete and glass, 31.5 x 13 x 13 cm
Sole Responsibility: Aged 12, but above III, 2023
Cut crystal, Dimensions variable
Cut crystal, Dimensions variable
Photography: Jed Niezgoda